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The_Liquid_Laser said:
Here is some evidence that "most people" prefer the NES, particularly in North America. The NES/Famicom only had a major presence in Japan and North America. I wouldn't expect it to be preferred in other parts of the world. But here is evidence of the NES' popularity in North America. 1) NES literally sold more than SNES. I know you don't want to count this, but that is kind of like saying, "You have no evidence that I shot this guy" while you are holding a smoking gun. Sales numbers are very weighty evidence.
The NES sold more than the SNES, but the biggest difference in sales was in North America. That is where we should find the most people who prefer the NES, especially among those who are old enough to remember the NES when it was a current console.
Just based on retro content on Youtube, the NES is far more popular than the SNES, at least among North American gamers. You might also argue that the SNES had tougher competition in North America. However if you add the SNES and Genesis together, then that brings the # of channels up to 5 and the NES is still far ahead on total subscriptions. The NES' popularity vs the SNES is not simply because some prefer the Genesis. People authentically love the 8-bit era completely on its own. 3) Merchandise Here is a popular site that sells retro gaming T-shirts.
The art can be bought as shadowboxes that hang on the wall or it can be desktop art. I sorted these by "best selling" and then counted how many were NES themed and how many were SNES themed.
In both cases art from NES games appears more often than art from SNES games in the "best selling" category. What people actually buy more often is the NES themed art. Ultimately, what I wanted to show is how extremely popular the NES is in North America. People on the internet like to crap all over the NES. Meanwhile, I know plenty of people in real life who love it. Part of the disconnect is that most parts of the world did not experience the NES in its prime. Those who didn't dismiss the NES quickly, while those who did have a deep appreciation for it. When I'm saying people love the NES, I'm not just making this up. There is a reason why the NES sold more than the SNES. It was and still is a very popular system for North American gamers. |
Again, sales aren't an apples to apples comparison because they sold under very different circumstances.
The preferences of youtubers and merchandise don't prove anything either, that's just the rose-tinted nostalgia of a specific demographic. If you grew up gaming the the 80s, NES was virtually the only game in town, there was little alternative due to the lack of competition in the console space.
I think our fundamental disconnect is that you're talking about which was more popular in its time, whereas I'm talking now, today, in the 21st century, in retrospect. Take a bunch of gamers who grew up with neither and let them play both today; I doubt most would choose the NES.
Last edited by curl-6 - on 07 September 2020
